The proposed conference, "Medical Leadership: Building Bridges between Operations, Medical Practice and Research will be held November 1-3 in Phoenix, Arizona and explore the nexus of health research translation in operations and clinical practice. 2006 will mark the twelfth year of this collaboration between AHIP and AHRQ and the tenth year with the CDC. [unreadable] [unreadable] We are developing an expert and informative program that will forge links with health care researchers, operations and the practice of medicine while generating new insight that will make a difference in health care quality. The conference will feature six general sessions, nine concurrent sessions (27 presentations), three poster sessions, and two pre-conference learning sessions drawn from the following topics: Incentives for Quality and Safety: The Promise of Payment and Performance Models; Considering Comparative Effectiveness in Medical Practice; Cornerstone or Afterthought: Prevention in New Health Insurance Products; Addressing Disparities in Health Care: New Efforts, New Findings and New Tools; The Personal Health Record -The new Health Information Technology I-Pod?; Using Data Registries to Improve Medical Practice and Care; The State of Health Care Value: Implementing Transparency of Price & Quality; Specialty Pharmaceuticals-New Trends and Approaches; Public Health Infrastructure & Implication of Pandemic, Natural Disasters and Terrorism; Changing Benefit Design: CDHP, Tiered Networks and Mini-Medical Policies; Managing Multiple Chronic Conditions and the Integration with Wellness and Prevention; Integrating Technological & Genomic Advances in the Health Care System: Assuring Access, Equity and Safety; Consumerism in Health: HSA's and New Payment Structures. [unreadable] [unreadable] The collaboration's goal is to provide a forum for researchers, decision makers from health insurance plans, clinicians, government, medical organizations, academia, and policy groups to [unreadable] share research results, generate new knowledge and translate this into practical recommendations that can help transform the health care system. [unreadable] [unreadable] As the quality, safety, effectiveness, cost, and disparities of health care continue to dominate the national discussion, there is a surge of effort by multiple stakeholders to address these and related priorities. In an effort to attract a higher profile of clinicians, medical leaders and policy decision-makers, and researchers, we have strengthened the conferences connection between [unreadable] research, operations and clinical practice, as reflected in the conference title. Researchers will benefit from direct access to medical policy decision makers and clinicians who are responsible [unreadable] for translating the evidence into practice. Clinicians and health systems leaders will be able to [unreadable] provide insight into the new realities and changes that dominate the health care landscape and [unreadable] shape the future research agenda. [unreadable] [unreadable] The confluence of Medical Leadership and Building Bridges will provide a new model for [unreadable] critical knowledge sharing to these key audiences. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]